Hotels and Accommodation in Hawassa

Hawassa is Ethiopia's most pleasant lake city — a well-planned urban centre on the western shore of Lake Hawassa in the Great Rift Valley, 275km south of Addis Ababa and easily reached in three hours by road or one hour by Ethiopian Airlines. The lakeside promenade is lined with fish restaurants, cafes and hotels. Marabou storks and fish eagles patrol the waterfront while small wooden boats land the morning's catch.

The lake is home to excellent bird life year-round — the Hawassa Fish Market at dawn is one of Ethiopia's great wildlife spectacles, with massive marabou storks, pelicans and herons competing with fishermen and market traders. Pink flamingos are visible from the lakeside hotels, particularly in the wet season when the shallow alkaline waters of adjacent Lake Shala are highest.

Hawassa serves as a destination in itself and as a hub for exploring the southern Rift Valley: Lake Langano (a safe swimming lake 90km north), Abiata-Shala National Park for flamingos, and the gateway to Arba Minch and the Omo Valley beyond.

The city's growing industrial zone and government functions make it a significant domestic business travel destination as well as a leisure one.